Meet Stephen Taylor, 28, animal care manager at Hattiesburg Zoo. Before joining the zoo, he did some hands-on training at Busch Gardens and with animal rehabilitation organizations on the Coast.

Originally from Gulfport, Taylor moved to Hattiesburg to attend William Carey University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in biology. He and his wife, Lorena, live in Oak Grove.

The couple has four pets. Taylor's mother and a brother live in Hattiesburg. Another brother lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

What advice would you give people who want to get into the same line of work as you? Zookeeping is very hard work. We don’t play with the animals all day like many people believe. It is a job that is passion-driven because we don’t get a day off whether it's holidays or bad weather. Don’t get me wrong, though, I love my job and could not imagine doing anything else! To get into the zoo field, you need to have almost as much hands-on experience with animals as you do education, especially experience at a vet clinic or volunteering at a zoo. This career is very unique and not something you can learn just by education.

Why did you choose to live and work in the Hattiesburg area? Hattiesburg, in my eyes, is one of the more progressive cities in Mississippi. I believe the thing that keeps me staying here is seeing Hattiesburg grow and being able to be part of that. The zoo is a very special thing for Hattiesburg to have and I love to see not only Hattiesburg, but the zoo grow more and more.

What do you do in your free time? I love spending time outside on my days off, whether it is working the yard or going swimming with my wife. I love to go bowling a few times a month, though I don’t seem to be getting any better. I love going to local events and spending time with my coworkers outside of work. I am also pretty fond of playing video games, I don’t think I will ever grow out of that.

If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why? This may not come as a surprise, but I would love to meet Steve Irwin. He was a huge inspiration to me, and I am sure countless others in the zoo field. His passion for animals was so awe-inspiring and encouraging for me to make the decision to pursue this career.

If you could go back 10 years and give a younger you tips or advice on life, work or anything in general, what would it be? I truly feel I made all the right decisions to get myself into the career I am in now and have no regrets in that regard. I would definitely tell myself to stay in touch more with old friends that I had grown up with.